The present invention relates to products which reduce the amount of ammonia produced by bacteria on or near the skin, or in bodily fluids such as urine. More specifically, the present invention relates to absorbent products and wet wipes which incorporate an osmoregulation protector which can interact with bacteria in urine and on or near the skin's surface and minimize the amount of ammonia produced by the bacteria. The osmoregulation protectors described herein are particularly useful in adult incontinence garments where the control of unwanted odors, such as the odor of ammonia, is highly desirable.
Human urine has a high level of osmotic strength and toxicity toward bacteria. Based on these characteristics, it could be assumed that bacterial growth in urine would be significantly inhibited such that foul odors, such as odors from ammonia, generated by the bacteria through metabolism would not be problematic. However, numerous bacteria have evolved the ability to adapt to high osmolarity and toxicity conditions by activating osmoregulation protectors such as betaine porters and accumulating organic osmolytes intracellularly. In other words, bacteria are able to avoid dehydration by taking up or synthesizing molecules that act as osmotic balancing agents such that large amount of salts cannot enter the bacterial membrane and dehydrate the cell. Transporters, such as betaine porters, move molecules or ions across the cellular membranes of bacteria by specifically binding and physically moving the substrate from one side of the membrane to the other. Both passive and active transport can be impacted by the betaine porters; that is, the porters can move substrates down a concentration gradient (no energy required) or they can move substrates against a concentration gradient (requires energy) to balance the water content of the cell.
Glycine betaine is a common osmoregulation protector used by bacteria in the presence of urine. Glycine betaine, while acting as an osmoregulation protector, does not significantly disrupt other normal cellular functions. Further, in some circumstances, glycine betaine will act to stabilize macromolecular structures to counteract the destabilizing effects of urea and keep the bacterial cell from tearing open. Because glycine betaine is commonly found in urine, the growth of bacteria in urine is common. Along with glycine betaine naturally synthesized by the bacteria, the presence of glycine betaine in voided urine promotes the rapid growth of bacteria by balancing osmotic forces and stabilizing the bacteria against the toxicity of urea and allowing for the subsequent increase of pH. In a cyclical pathway, ammonia is used as a nutritional substrate by the organisms, resulting in growth of more organisms and production of more ammonia, increasing the pH and lowering the osmotic pressure by decreasing the urea concentration. The pathway generates more and more ammonia as the bacteria continue to grow.
The production of ammonia by bacteria in urine can lead to the release of unwanted and offensive odors. The problem is particularly acute in the area of adult incontinence garments where odor control is highly desirable. Regardless of whether an absorbent product can control or all together stop leakage of urine upon release by a wearer, if the product cannot also control or eliminate the odor generated by the urine, or more precisely by the bacteria in the urine, the product is undesirable. As such, a need exists in the industry for absorbent products, such as adult incontinence products, that can control odors such as ammonia generated by bacteria contained in human urine.